As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
An information handling system may include one or more power supply units for providing electrical energy to components of the information handling system. In many existing approaches, a power supply unit may have associated therewith an ambient temperature sensor that detects an ambient air temperature associated with the power supply unit, for example at an inlet of airflow to the power supply unit. Many such power supply units also have associated therewith a control system configured to control the power output of a power supply unit based on the ambient air temperature, so as to reduce the likelihood of overheating of the power supply which may cause damage thereto. Thus, in response to increasing temperatures the power supply may be derated—the power output of the power supply may be reduced as a result of the temperature increase.
Derating of a power supply based on ambient temperature may have disadvantages, as ambient temperature may not be a reliable indicator of the health of a power supply unit. For example, power supply ambient inlet temperature sensors may be subject to inaccuracy based on the location of the sensor within the power supply unit as well as local heating effects and local hotspots of inlet air from within an information handling system (e.g., such as when a power supply inlet is near heatsink exhaust of a processor). Accordingly, a power supply may become derated based upon an ambient temperature sensor reading which unreliably represents the health of the power supply unit, leading to unnecessary loss of power availability.